Congressman Nick Langworthy has announced a major federal lifeline for the Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District: the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending $60,493,661.51 to rebuild a campus that was hammered by past floods. The award is aimed squarely at the district's junior/senior high facility and the surrounding campus infrastructure that took repeated hits from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred and later impacts from Tropical Storm Debby, which forced students out of their building.
Local leaders say this kind of money finally moves the district out of endless cleanup and into the realm of permanent replacement and mitigation. "This funding marks a transformational milestone that has been the result of a strong partnership and collaboration at every level of government," Langworthy said in the release.
The FEMA award, part of a project now estimated at roughly $67.2 million, is slated to cover replacement of the district's approximately 85,000-square-foot junior/senior high school and administrative offices, along with athletic facilities, parking, sidewalks and other campus infrastructure. The release also notes more than $5 million in hazard-mitigation funding to rebuild critical facilities outside the floodplain, according to The Wellsville Sun.
Project background and local context
District officials have been working with FEMA and state partners since students were forced out of the high school after the 2021 flooding. The district's "Moving Forward Together" hub tracks environmental reviews, public meetings and design work, according to Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District.
Local outlets had previously reported that FEMA expected to put about $55 million toward a replacement and that design and construction could take roughly four years, per FingerLakes1. The district and state lawmakers had already lined up smaller FEMA awards for emergency protective measures after Tropical Storm Fred - roughly $5,630,020 - according to a release from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (Schumer).
What comes next
The new federal award is being provided through FEMA's Public Assistance program under a major disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Fred, and the release says FEMA will cover roughly 90 percent of eligible costs. That still leaves the district to navigate land acquisition, design choices and local approvals before any shovels hit the ground.
Superintendent Jason Oliver said the announcement gives the community "tremendous optimism" about the future as planning shifts toward building. Officials say there are still local decisions to be made around site selection and sequencing, and the district's rebuild page will remain the hub for updates as the project moves forward, according to The Wellsville Sun.
